William Peter Blatty – “The Exorcist” Legend

As he tells the story, William Peter Blatty rented a cabin in Lake Tahoe in early 1968, to start a novel based on a true story he’d heard while an undergraduate at Georgetown University. It was a terrifying story of demonic possession.

Never mind that Blatty was, at that time, well-known in Hollywood as a talented comedy writer — he wrote screenplays for “A Shot in the Dark” and “The Man From the Diners Club.”

But once “The Exorcist” was published in 1971 Blatty’s comedy career was over. When the movie version of the book — screenplay by Blatty — came out in 1973, it made him a legend.

Four decades on, Blatty is still a bit baffled about his status….

Listen to William Peter Blatty

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